Exhibition-cabinet



Patented Mar. 28, I899. R. T. SWANN.

EXHIBITION CABINET.

(Application filed Apr. 22, 1898.)

2 SheetsSheet I.

(No man.)

avvuemto'a No. 62l,870. Patented Mar. 28, I899. R. T. SWANN.

EXHIBITION CABINET. (Application filed Apr. 29, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Shag! 2.

(No Model.)

A. A \wx /AV/ IWMIEJM RICHARD T. SWANN, OF DALLAS, TEXAS.

EXHIBITION-CABINET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 621 ,870, dated March 28, 1899.

Application filed April 22, 1 8 9 8.

T0 ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RICHARD T. SWANN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Dallas, in the county of Dallas and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Exhibition-Cabinets, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a cabinet for exhibiting photographs, pictures, advertising-cards, (to.

According to my invention I provide a case or cabinet within which is arranged a series of frames, each of which holds a picture, photograph, or the like, and which are so arranged and operated that they are successively brought to the front and in full view of the observer.

The cabinet is divided into two compartments, and the frames move forward in one compartment and backward in the other compartment, and they also move transversely from one compartment to the other both at the front and at the rear of the cabinet. A sliding carriage is adapted to engage with the frames successively at the front and at the rear of the cabinet and to shift them from one compartment to the other, while the frames are moved backward and forward automatically in the act of shifting them laterally.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows avertical transverse section through my exhibition-cabinet on the line 1 1 of Fig. 2, some of the parts being broken away to more clearly show other parts. Fig. 2 shows a horizontal section on the linei2 2 of Fig. l, the picture-frames being shown in plan and partly broken away. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. A is a detail view in perspective of two of the frames and the catch which engages the frames to shift them laterally.

The case or cabinet proper, A, may be of any suitable construction and may be ornamented in any way to suit the taste of the user. I preferably provide the cabinet with a hinged top or lid B, to which is attached a mirror 0.. A frame D is secured within the cabinet near the bottom thereof to support and guide the picture-framesE.

The frame D consists of two horizontal strips F, secured to the sides of the cabinet, a horizontal strip G, secured to the top of the Serial No. 678,508. (No model.)

strips F at the rear of the cabinet, and a subframe or grid I-I, secured to the under sides of the strips F. The grid consists of horizontal transverse strips I, connected by crossbars J, arranged at suitable distances apart, four such bars preferably being used, so that two of them may be employed for supporting the frames E on each side of the cabinet.

The cabinet is closed on all sides except the front by opaque material; but at the front Windows K L are employed to exhibit pictures. Near the top of the cabinet strips M N'are secured to the sides thereof, and at the rear of the cabinet a strip 0 is secured to the top of the strips M N. A strip P may also be secured to the top of the strips M N at the front of the cabinet, and midway between the sides is suspended a partition Q, which divides the cabinet into two compartments. The partition Q is made solid in its lower portion q and serves to separate the frames E, as shown in Fig. 2. At the top itis provided with laterally-projecting arms q 1 which rest on the front and rear strips P and O. A recess g is formed in the top of the partition about midway between its ends to facilitate the removal of the frames when desired, and the strips M and N are also recessed for the same purpose. When the lid B is raised, the tops of the frames E will be exposed, and they may be lifted out through the top, if desired, and can be as readily replaced. The frames are rectangular in form. They areslotted and grooved at c to receive photographs, pictures, or the like, and their opposite vertical edges are beveled at 6 6 As shown in Fig. 2, the right-hand edge of each frame is beveled rearwardly, while the left-hand edge of each frame is beveled forwardly. The frames rest loosely on the cross-bars J and are adapted to slide back and forth and crosswise thereon. The partition Q between the frames does not extend from front to rear of the cabinet, but terminates within the strip G and the front of the cabinet, leaving spaces R R, which permit the frames E to pass laterally from one compartment to the other.

Referring to Fig. 2, if the frame at the front of the compartment on the left-hand side of the cabinet were moved to the right, in the direction indicated by the arrow, the beveled edge on the right-hand side of the frame would engage the beveled edge on the lefthand side of the frame E in the right-hand compartment. This would cause the front frame in this compartment to move rearwardly, and it would consequently move rearwardly the entire series of frames on the righthand side of the cabinet, and ultimately the front frame in the left-hand compartment, which is marked by an arrow, would be shifted into the compartment at the right-hand side of the cabinet and would become one of the right-hand series of frames. Similarly, if the frame at the rear end of the series in the right-hand compartment were moved to the left the beveled edges of the frames at the rear of the cabinet would engage each other and the series of frames in the left-hand compartment would be moved forward, the frame at the rear of the right-hand series being shifted and becoming the frame at the rear of the left-hand series. I have provided mechanism for shifting the frames in succession in this way, so that they travel around in regular order through the compartments. Below the frame or grid H are arranged two parallel guide-bars S S, extending transversely from one side of the cabinet to the other. Upon these bars is mounted a sliding carriage T, to which is secured an arm 25, provided with a handle U. The front of the cabinet is slotted at t to permit the arm t to slide back and forth transversely. By moving the handle back and forth the carriage T may be reciprocated 011 the guide-bars S S below the frame H. On the upper side of the carriage is mounted a sliding bar or catch V. This catch extends from one end of the carriage to the other below the frames E, and it is provided at each end with an upwardly-projecting arm U, carrying a lug n, which projects inwardly toward the middle of the cabinet. These lugs are adapted to enter notches e in the bottom of the frames. The arrangement of the arms and lugs is such thatonly one of them can engage with a single frame at a time-that is to say, if one of the lugs 12' engages with one of the frames at the front of the cabinet the other lug at the rear of the cabinet is disengaged entirely from the frames.

Fig. 2 shows the front lug engaged with a frame E at the front of the left-hand compartment. If now the handle U is moved to the right, this frame will be shifted'into the right-hand compartment, and as the lug 'v at the rear of the cabinet is disengaged from the frames the frame at the rear of the cabinet will not be moved.

In order to shift the bar V back and forth at the proper times, I provide spring-arms \V W. The spring W is so arranged that when the carriage T is moved to the left the curved end in of the spring-arm XV engages the front end of the bar V and moves the bar backward, and thus causes the lug v to enter the notch e in the front frame E. In a similar manner the curved end 20 of the spring-arm V engages the rear end of the bar V and causes the bar to be moved forward and its rear lug U to engage in the notch c in the frame at the rear of the right-hand compartment.

It will be observed that the bar V is shifted or moved only at the end of each stroke. Therefore when a lug o is engaged with the frame it remains in engagement therewith until the carriage T is shifted from one side of the cabinet to the other.

Buffers X are mounted below the frame If at the opposite ends of the cabinet to limit the movement of the carriage T. These buffers may be constructed of rubber or other suitable materials or a combination of them.

The construction of the apparatus has now been fully described, and its operation will be clear from the foregoing description; but briefiystateditis as follows: Referring to Fig. 2, it will be observed that the lug v on the front of the bar V is engaged with the frame E at the front of the left-hand compartment. If now the handle U is moved to the right, the carriage T will be moved also to the right and the frame at the front of the left-hand compartment will be moved transversely across the cabinet, its beveled edge will engage the adjacent beveled edge of the front frame in the right-hand compartment, and this frame, together with the series of frames in rear of it, will be moved backward. As soon as the carriage has completed its movement to the right the spring-arm W will engage the sliding bar V and will move this bar forward, thus disengaging its front lug o from the front frame in the right-hand compartment and causing its rear lug o to engage with the frame at the rear of the right-hand compartment. The next movement of the handle U to the left will cause the frame at the rear of the right-hand compartment to be moved laterally into the left-hand eompartment, and the frames in the left-hand compartment will all be moved forward and the front lug U will engage with the front frame in this compartment as soon as the carriage has completed its movement to the left. This operation is continued by merely reciprocating the handle U. The frames are moved back and forth from one compartment to the other and rearwardly and forwardly in the two compartments. Each picture, photograph, or the like is only exhibited once in regular order. Any number of frames may be used, and they may be constructed in any suitable Way. The frames should be made to closely fit the compartments in which they are mounted, so as to be correctly guided, and there should be one vacant space in the compartments, so as to permit aframe to be shifted from one compartment to the other.

Fig. 2 shows twenty-five frames. There are thirteen frames in the left-hand co1npart ment and twelve frames in the right-hand compartment, there being a vacant space at the rear of the right-hand compartment, one frame being indicated by dotted lines in this compartment. The cabinet is not only ornamental, but the lid may be locked or fastened and the contents thus made secure. It may be operated with perfect ease and regularity and, if desired, with great rapidity. The apparatus is simple and is not liable to get out of order. The frames may be readily removed and new pictures or the like inserted whenever desired.

I do not wish to limit myself to the details of construction shown, as obviously the same results may be obtained by various modifications of the apparatus.

I claim as my invention- 1. A picture-exhibitor, comprising a casing divided into two compartments, a carriage, parallel guide-rods on which it is mounted to reciprocate, a handle for moving thecarriage back and forth on the guide-rods, a sliding bar mounted on the carriage and adapted to move back and forth in a direction transverse to the direction in which the carriage moves, an upwardly-projecting arm carrying an inwardly-projecting lug at each end of the slid ing bar, so arranged that when one lug en gages the picture-frames the other lug is disengaged therefrom, spring-arms secured at opposite ends of the casing, adapted to alter nately engage the opposite ends of the sliding bar and so move it as to cause the lugs to engage the picture frames mounted in the compartments, and a series of picture-frames mounted in the compartments and adapted to be moved from one compartment to the other by the carriage and the sliding bar.

2. The combination of the casing, divided into two compartments, two-series of pictureframes mounted in the compartments, the grid having the parallel bars, J, on which the picture frames rest and upon which they slide, the guide-rods, S, below the grid, the carriage mounted to reciprocate on said guiderods, the buffers, X, against which the carriage strikes, the sliding rod, V, carrying lugs at opposite ends adapted to engage the picture-frames, and the springs, W, for shifting the rod.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

RICHARD T. SWANN.

I Witnesses:

I. B. GIBSON, L. C. LEEDS; 

